The new Define Nano S mini-ITX PC case promises to offer compatibility with high-end, full-size components, superior sound dampening and an ATX-like layout, which were pretty much the key features of earlier Define series PC case from Fractal Design.

As you could have guessed from the name, the Define Nano S is a smaller PC case measuring at 203x344x412mm and weighing 5kg. Despite its small size, the Define Nano S has a rather extensive support and compatibility and can take up to 160mm long PSUs, up to 315mm long dual-slot graphics cards and up to 162mm tall CPU coolers. It also has enough room for four drives, mounted either at the back of the motherboard tray or on the vertical HDD/SSD mounting plate.

The Fractal Design Define Nano S certainly excels when it comes to both cooling as well as liquid cooling support. It comes bundled with front mounted Fractal Design Dynamic GP14 140mm fan and Dynamic GP12 120mm mounted at the back but also supports additional four fans at six different fan positions. The liquid cooling support includes plenty of room for 140/120mm radiators, as well as support for up to 240mm radiator at the top and 280mm radiator at the front. Fractal Design also included plenty of room for pump and reservoir mounting.

Fractal Design's Define series was always about silence so the Nano S is not an exception either as it includes dense sound dampening material on front and side panels as well as ModuVent on the top of the case.

According to Fractal Design, the new Define Nano S should be available soon with a price set at US $64.99/€69.99 for the standard and US $69.99/€74.99 for the Window version, both only available in Black color option.

Fractal Design has unveiled its latest Define S PC case, designed to offer enthusiast-oriented features and a silent case without compromising airflow or cooling capabilities.

The Fractal Design Define S PC case will be available in two versions, with and without a windowed side panel, and in a single black color scheme. With 233x451x520mm dimensions and support for ATX, micro-ATX and mini-ITX motherboards, the Define S is far from a small PC case and comes with seven PCI expansion slots, support for up to three 3.5-inch and two 2.5-inch drives, up to 300mm long ATX PSUs, up to 450mm long graphics cards and up to 180mm tall CPU coolers.

The new internal layout of the Define S gets rid of 5.25-inch optical drive bay in order to create a clear straight airflow path and provide the Define S with better liquid cooling support. The Define S also features a long motherboard tray design as well as a 20-40mm space behind the motherboard tray which should both help in cable management.

As far as cooling goes, the Define S comes with a total of nine fan positions (eight on the windowed side panel version) and comes bundled with two Fractal Design Dynamic GP14 140mm fans. It supports three 120/140mm fans at the front and three 120/140mm fans at the top, single 120/140mm fan at the rear and single 120/140mm at the bottom as well as a single 120/140mm on the side panel, at least on the non-windowed version. Both front and bottom fan mounts also come with dust filters.

As you could have guessed from fan placement layout, the Define S supports up to 360mm long radiator at the front, 420x55mm radiator at the top, 120mm radiator at the bottom and 120/140mm radiator at the back.

The new Fractal Design Define S PC case should be available soon with a price set at US $79.99/€89.99 for the standard and US $89.99/€99.99 for the Define S Window version.

Fractal Design is a company well known for quality designed and manufactured cases. We've had a chance to try out Fractal Design cases on two occasions,Core 3000 andDefine R3, and they've left some good impressions, so let's see whether Arc Midi Tower is capable of doing the same. Arc Midi Tower launched in 2011, but since it's one excellent case, it's never to late to review it.

At a glance, Arc Midi Tower seems shorter than it is, most likely because the front panel only shows two 5.25'' bays and a mesh. That the mesh isn't small is clear from the fact it hides two 14cm fan slots. One fan comes mounted while the second one is optional. Arc Midi Tower is 460mm tall and 230mm wide.

The front panel is made of quality plastics, but is made to look aluminum-like, which the company did pretty well. For whatever reason, the finishing texture also reminded us of wood.

Other than the fact we'd rather have 5.25'' covers that are removable without taking the front panel off, we can't complain about the finishing touches and functionality. Taking off the panel is a breeze - a tug at the bottom will do. Fractal Design logo is engraved in the panel but it's nice and subtle so it makes the front panel look much better.

The control panel is on the top of the case and holds a single USB 3.0 connector, two USB 2.0 connectors, audio In\Out, power and reset keys. Fractal Design used similar mesh with wider holes for the front and top panels.

The fan is easy to take off since it's only fixed with latches. The second fan, if you choose to throw it in, uses the same method.

The control panel on the top of the front panel doesn't take up 5.25''' bays nor does it take up precious room on the top panel. We have seen many cases using the same placement but we can easily say Fractal Design is one of the pioneers of this design.

The front and top panels have foam filters that aren't intended to be taken off.

Most dust usually comes off the floor, so it's a good thing that the company used a classic mesh filter than can be easily taken out for cleaning, without having to open the case.

The feet come with antivibration pads.

As far as side panels go, the design is classic. The left panel can take a 140mm or 180mm intake fan, while the right panel has no holes. Both panels are fixed with thumb screws and taking them off is as easy as putting them back on. The panels are made of steel and are very tough.

The top panel is made entirely of mesh. Users tend to keep random things on a case and it's possible in this case as well since the panel is flat and the mesh is tough enough. Of course, that won't help much if you spill something.

The top panel houses a 140mm fan, but there is extra room for two additional 120\140mm fans. The top panel can be removed after unscrewing two screws at the end of the panel that keep it in place.

The top panel will take a dual 120mm radiator (up to 60mm thick). Top of the rear panel houses two holes for external watercooling.

With width of 230mm, Arc Midi is one of the widest mid tower cases around. That of course is a good thing since it will take pretty much any large CPU cooler. Maximum allowed CPU cooler height is 180mm.

The rear panel is characteristic for the white expansion slots. Fractal Design's cases are usually recognizable for black-white contrasts, which is the case with interior as well. Namely, the case uses white fans and fan brackets. Apart from seven horizontal expansion slots, Arc Midi has another vertical one, which can be used for the bundled fan controller.

The PSU goes in the bottom of the case and the dust filter can easily be removed.

The interior is well designed and packs plenty of room. Fractal Design painted parts of the case white, which we really like.

The case will take just any graphics card from the current generations without having to take the HDD cage out. Only the cards such as GTX 690 and a few other ones longer than 290mm will require you to take the HDD cage out. By taking it out, users will get up to 440mm of room. The bottom HDD cage is fixed and cannot be removed.

The cable management holes are wide and more cables can be routed through the same hole. Fractal Design made sure to make the hole closest to the PSU the widest one, which is good since most cabling comes from there. The grommets are tough and won't fall out easily. The company left two holes near the top of the motherboard tray, which are intended for CPU power and cooling power cables. There are two cable management holes because CPU power isn't always at the end of the board.

If the company included a few more anchors, cable management in the back would've been easier. There is about 21mm of space for cabling below the rear panel.

All the cables coming from the I\O panel are sleeved. The blue cable is the USB 3.0 one, and we're talking about a cable with an internal USB 3.0 that's most commonly found on boards.

The CPU backplate cutout was compatible with all the boards we've tried.

The front panel will take two fans. One of them comes with the case and, as you can see from the picture, is positioned to cool the top HDD cage. If you throw in the other fan, it will help with cooling of the bottom HDD cage.

If you need to mount a 3.5'' device in one of the 5.25'', you can use the included converter. We found it mounted in the first 5.25'' slot, fixed with two screws on each side, see pictures below and above.

The HDD cage can be removed by unscrewing two screws. Note that all the screws in the Arc Midi Tower are thumb screws. This usually means you don't have to use tools, but some of them were screwed in so tight that we had to use tools. Note however that this is barely a problem, since we had to do a similar thing with pretty much any case we tested.

We're no strangers to Fractal Design's brackets - the Arc Midi uses a tried and true design that is tough and uses anti-vibration pads. Each of the 3.5'' drives will take 2.5'' drives as well. These brackets require specially designed screws, which are also included.

The screws on expansion slots are also thumb screws, so no need for tools.

All of the three mounted fans have 3-pin connectors and can be controlled via the controller bundled with the Arc Midi. The eight, vertical slot is a great place for the fan controller. The fans aren't loud when running at their maximum of 1000RPM, but you can use the controller to make them even quieter.

The Arc Midi will take another five fans, on top of the three fans that come with the case. The bottom panel will take a 120\140mm fan. The holes on the bottom panel have dust filters.

We're not particularly fond of such miniature PSU stands. Still, at least the rubber pads stayed in their case. The foam around the PSU hole is a nice touch as well.

Quality keeps the price up and the Arc Midi Tower proves that. You can find the Arc Midi priced between 75 and 80 euro. The Arc Midi Tower has everything new-generation cases should have, but the looks and quality finishing are what we liked the most about this case.

First of all, the price isn't exaggerated and the quality and design definitely make it worth it. In fact, the Arc Midi definitely stands out in this price range.

Arc Midi comes with three silent 14cm fans. The fans can be controller with the included fan controller, which can run three fans simultaneously. The case will take another five fans and if you want water cooling, you can use a dual 120mm radiator on the top panel. Note that the radiator thickness is limited to 60mm.

The Arc Midi Tower will take CPU coolers up to 18cm in length and any currently available graphics card. It's possible to use eight internal 3.25''\2.25 drivers, but there are only two 5.25'' slots.

So, Fractal Design has once again proved that it makes quality cases. The Arch Midi Tower is obviously no exception and you definitely won't go wrong if you opt for it.

Fractal Design’s Define R3 case became quite popular in 2011 and it’s definitely a case worth loking at. The company tried to cater to users who like silent, tidy and stylish cases with plenty of room for 3.5’’ drives. Define R3 comes as successor to Fractal Design’s Define R2, and the company did its best to fix any shortcomings of the latter.

We tested Define R3 Black Pearl case. In case you don’t like black, or it simply doesn’t look right in your room, you can choose among the following colors: Arctic White, Black Pearl, Silwer Arrow, Titanium Grey. Note that the white Define R3 comes with white interior as well.

We didn’t even notice the accessories package and we initially thought that Fractal Design simply forgot about it. However, we found it in the top HDD tray inside. The case has a fan controller that can manage three fans.

The front panel seems simple enough but it is well made. Finishing touches are great and although the panel has a mirror finish, there aren’t that many reflections.

What you see on the picture are the plastic doors coated with aluminum film. Truth be told, the photos don’t do it much justice as it looks much better live.

A light tug on the top-right part of the front panel will open the door, which opens to the left and cannot be flipped. Behind the door is a stock 12cm fan with additional room for another one. The front panel door has no holes on it so the fans draw air from holes on the sides.

The door has a layer of foam attached to it from the inside. As for the side panels, Fractal Design opted on harder and thinner material for sound isolation, in order not to waste space inside the case.

The door is held in place by strong magnets.

You can reach the front panel fan easy by opening the additional door inside. There’s no need to remove the entire panel in order to mount optical devices. The 5.25’’ covers can be removed easily, but you should take care in order not to break them. We applied a bit too much force and managed to break one clip.

Define R3 comes with only two 5.25’’, but most users won’t need any more than that. In fact, we tend to hear about problems with lack of room for 3.5’’ drives much more than for 5.25’’ devices. Define R3 not only offers eight 3.5’’ slots by default, you can also turn one 5.25’’ slot into a 3.5’’ via the included adapter. Note that all the 3.5’’ are made to hold 2.5’’ drives as well.

The front panel fan isn’t attached directly to the chassis, but rather in a removable bracket secured with four screws.

The fan holder is made of plastic and functions as a filter at the same time. We really liked this concept as users can clean the fan as well while cleaning the filter.

Define R3 Black Pearl comes stocked with two fans. The second fan is on the rear panel. Note that both fans run at 1350 rpm.

The reset key is hidden behind the door whereas the power key is on the top panel. Unfortunately, there are no e-SATA connectors but there is a single USB 3.0 (internal connector) and two USB 2.0 ones. In the centre of the panel is a LED lamp that glows blue when the computer is on.

You probably noticed that Define R3 Black Pearl has two fan holes on the top panel, but a closer look reveals they are sealed from the inside. These two holes are there in case you decide to add more fans (120/140mm).

Many users like their cases silent so Fractal Design sealed all unused holes on top and side panels and called it ModuVent. In other words, if you want maximum performance, take the foam off and throw some fans in.

Fan controllers are usually placed on the front panel, but the foam inside the door prevented us from mounting our Scythe fan controller. This means that you’ll either have to resort to digital fan controllers or cut up some foam. Naturally, it’s much simpler to use the provided fan controller, which goes into expansion slots on the rear panel.

The left side panel holds an optional fan hole (120/140mm) whereas the right panel is fully closed.

The left side is the so called ModuVent, which means that the company used removable seals to close optional holes, until you need to use them. This is how Fractal Design managed to make the case as silent as possible.

The following photo shows the sound isolation material in the Black Pearl. The side panels are tough and are easily taken off. They’re held in place by two thumb screws.

Define R3 Black Pearl has seven expansion slots and four holes for water cooling. A look on the rear panel reveals an important thing – the Define R3 is wider than classic midi-tower cases. The right side panel isn’t very close to the I/O panel, which is good as it means extra room for cable management. The expansion slot covers are fixed with thumb screws, which are also used to lock expansion cards. You can reuse the covers and the company made sure to improve the Define R2’s covers by including air inlets.

You’ll find dust filters on the bottom panel below the PSU.

The bottom filter can be taken out for cleaning with a tug from the back of the case. It would perhaps be better if the filter had a small handle to make the task easier.

The feet are made with anti-vibration rubber coating underneath, and are stable and tall enough to allow the air to be drawn in from the bottom of the case. Although the plastic feet seem fine, they’re a bit funny as the rear ones are much smaller than the front ones.

The Define R3 Black Pearl packs enough room for mini-ITX, micro-ATX and ATX boards. At a glance, everything looks pretty nice. Fractal Design’s cases are recognizable for the white expansion slot covers and white fans. Furthermore, there are a few white details inside and we really liked the design in general.

Define R3 is 521mm long but since the HDD cage is fixed, your graphics card should not exceed 29cm. However, this is enough for all standard high-end, single GPU graphics cards (HD 6970 is 27cm long).

Our Define R3 took Asus’ Rampage II Extreme motherboard (269x305 mm, 10.6" x 12"). The case has a few cable management holes in the motherboard tray but, unfortunately, our Rampage II closed off most of them. However, the case is designed with such scenarios in mind so the cables can still be routed between the HDD cage and the tray.

The motherboard tray has a big CPU backplate cutout which will make swapping CPU coolers easy as pie.

Fractal Design used rubber on cable management holes and the CPU backplate cutout, which is a really nice touch.

If we were to pick hairs, then we’d like to see the company implement something similar to what we’ve seen on the Trooper, picture below. Namely, the rubber parts are held in place by clips.

The case has a few notches for cable management on the back of the motherboard tray, but they are positioned a bit too close to each other. Again, we must mention the Trooper, as the case has a much better distribution of the notches (picture above).

Above the CPU backplate cutout is a smaller but very practical hole for the CPU power cable.

Define R3 is wider than most mid-tower computer cases, which means that it will easily take taller CPU coolers (up to 165mm).

The sound isolation material on the side panels is only a few millimeters thick so it won’t get in the way of coolers or make cable management difficult.

The exhausts on the top panel are closed, just like those on the left, but unscrewing four screws will make room for 12cm/14cm fan. What’s great about this case is that, although it aims for silence, it can easily be optimized for maximum airflow.

The front panel can be removed but mounting 5.25’’ drives will only require taking of the covers. Optical drives are fixed with thumb screws, as the company didn’t include a toolless mechanism. Most of the screws in the case are big-head ones, so you won’t be needing tools. We must admit we didn’t miss a toolless mechanism because screws beat badly implemented locking mechanisms any day.

The 3.5’’ cage cannot be removed, but it’s very tough. You’ll find grommets in every bay but they’ll only work for 3.5’’ drives (2.5’’ SSD drives don’t make vibrations). Each of the bays will take 3.5’’ or 2.5’’ drives.

The PSU is mounted on the bottom and you’ll find a rubber seal for suppressing vibration noise. Pure 1250W is 19cm long so we had to take the dust filter out. However, standard PSUs will fit without problems.

When running at maximum rpm, the fans aren’t quite what we’d call unbearably loud but they’re still audible. Thankfully, the fan controller can, and in our case did, take care of that as we lowered the rpm to make them barely audible.

Fractal Design is one of computer case manufacturers who favor quality and functionality over pure quantity of features. Define R3 is built on the company’s Define R2 case, which was quite popular, but is getting a bit old. Define R3 comes with improved airflow, newer fans, better and thinner isolation material, bigger CPU backplate cutout to ensure maximum compatibility with motherboards, more cable management holes, improved finish, and more.

Where Define R3 really beats the rest of the competition is its versatility. The company calls it ModuVent design – air exhausts come sealed and with sound isolation but users can unseal them and improve airflow in a minute. Many manufacturers of silent cases opt out of having exhausts on top or side panels to make a case even quieter. Define R3, on the other hand, has two exhausts on the top panel and another optional one on the left. If users need more airflow – they can have it in minutes.

Define R3 comes with two fans that provide nice airflow, but are loud. However, you can make them quieter via the provided fan controller. You may need another one or two fans if you’re looking to build a high-end rig, but bear in mind that Define R3 Black Pearl will take as much as seven.

There’s room inside for high end rigs based on ATX motherboards. The case will take maximum 29cm graphics, which should be enough for most users. All standard single GPU graphics cards (including HD 6970 and GTX 580) are shorter than that. You can use CPU coolers up to 16.5cm tall, so most high end coolers are compatible as well.

Define R3 Black Pearl is black but you can choose between Arctic White, Black Pearl, Silver Arrow and Titanium Grey. Fractal Design really did a good job and we’ll remember Define R3 as one of the better computer cases in 2011.

Fractal Design Core 3000 is a recently announced case that boasts many nice features, although surprisingly enough, it doesn't come with USB 3.0. On the other hand, the price of €56 is appealing, especially after considering that the Core 3000 is one of the highest quality sub-€70 cases we’ve gotten our mitts on. The case is tough, roomy, and comes stocked with three fans.

The Core 3000 measures 445x200x490mm (HxWxL). Note that we measured together with the front and top bezels and feet.

The Fractal Design logo breaks the monotony of the simple but stylish front panel. The company used a thick mesh grill, which indeed reinforces the image of toughness and quality of the Core 3000. The front panel has two 5.25’’ slots for optical drives, with a 5.25’’ to 3.5’’ converter also included.

There are four USB 2.0 connectors on the top panel but, as we said before, there are no USB 3.0 ones.

The Core 3000 comes stocked with three fans but the case will take as much as seven. The top and front panels hold 14cm fans (1000rpm) while the rear panel has a 12cm one (1200rpm).

The front and bottom panels will take 12cm fan each, whereas the top and side panels can be equipped with 12cm or 14cm fans. Fractal Design strapped the Core 3000 with a fan controller that can handle three fans, which is a nice touch.

You’ll find dust filters on the front and bottom panel below the PSU. The bottom filter can be taken out for cleaning with a tug from the back of the case.

The Core 3000 stands on rubber feet that are stable and tall enough to allow the air to be drawn in from the bottom of the case.

A look on the rear panel reveals an important thing – the Core 3000 is wider than classic mid-tower cases. The side panel isn’t very close to the I/O panel, which is good as it means extra room for cable management.

The 445mm height and 490mm length of the Core 3000 mean that it’s one of smaller mid-tower cases but the 20cm width means it will easily take the largest CPU coolers. At a glance, everything looks pretty nice.

That the case is a quality one is evident from the fact that the Core 3000 comes with two HDD cages, one of which can be taken out in order to make room for some monster sized graphics cards.

The case will take a total of six 3.5’’ or 2.5’’ drives. You’ll find grommets in every bay but they’ll only work for 3.5’’ drives.

The Core 3000 will take two 5.25’’ drives and there’s also the always handy 3.5’’ converter. The case comes stocked with three fans, as you can see from the following picture.

The case packs enough room for mini-ITX, micro-ATX and ATX boards.

Cabling can be routed behind the motherboard tray, but cable holes could have been wider (at least in the case of the hole next to the PSU). Also, it would have been convenient if the company left a hole for a CPU cable on the motherboard tray.

The motherboard tray has a CPU backplate cutout which will make swapping CPU coolers easy as pie.

Strapping Fractal Design’s Core 3000 with gear was pretty easy.

The manual has no pictures and only has a few instructions on how to remove or flip the top HDD cage or how to clean dust filters. The manual states that the case comes with a one year warranty.

Adding a CPU and a CPU cooler to an already mounted motherboard is easy thanks to the CPU backplate cutout on the motherboard tray. The cutout measures 130mm x 133mm, meaning it is compatible with most motherboards.

The Hyper Z600 is our favorite passive cooler for testing computer cases. The Hyper Z600 is 160mm tall, which is Core 3000’s maximum allowed height. We had no problems with Hyper Z600’s height, but its width got in the way of the top panel fan. Namely, the Hyper Z600 touched the fins by only a mm or so, but we still had to take it off.

Thankfully, we didn’t have to move the fan too far, as you can see from the picture.

The case will take a 27.5cm graphics card without having to take the HDD cage out. Note that the GTX 580 is 26.8 cm whereas the HD 6970 is 27.5cm long. The following picture shows the HD 6970 sitting comfortably inside.

If you take the HDD cage out, then the case will take a card up to 42cm long.

The following photo shows that the longest graphics card around, the HD 6990 (30.7cm) will fit nicely if you take the top HDD cage out.

The PSU is mounted on the bottom and there are four grommets to prevent vibration noise.

PSU cabling can be routed behind the motherboard tray. You’ll find that there is about 1cm of room under the right side panel, picture below.

Fractal Design provided plenty of cable management notches. We would have liked a few below the CPU backplate cutout as well, since it would make managing excess cabling easy.

We already said the case comes stocked with three fans. The front panel, which already has a 14cm fan, will take another 12cm fan. A simple tug on the bottom of the front panel will suffice for taking it off.

When running at maximum rpm, the fans aren’t quite what we’d call unbearably loud but they’re still audible. Thankfully, the fan controller can, and in our case did, take care of that as we lowered the rpm to make the fans almost inaudible.

Dust filters can be found on the front and bottom panel (below the PSU). The bottom filter can be pulled out for cleaning.

If you mount a 12cm fan on the bottom panel, the maximum PSU size will be 16cm. Our Cooler Master GX 650W Bronze PSU on the picture is 14cm long.

The 3.5’’ brackets are tough and, as you can see, painted white. You’ll find grommets in every bay but they’ll only work for 3.5’’ drives (2.5’’ SSD drives don’t make vibrations). Each of the bays will take 3.5’’ or 2.5’’ drives.

We were surprised to see that the bag has no 2.5’’ screws for SSD drives. We had to find some in order to mount our SSD, but you shouldn’t be concerned much as the screws usually come with SSDs.

Mounting 5.25’’ optical drives will require screwing a few screws by hand because the company didn’t include a toolless mechanism. Most of the screws in the case are big-head ones, meaning no tools needed. We didn’t miss the toolless drive mechanism because we’d much rather have screws than a badly implemented locking mechanism.

Although it seems as if the case is small and has no room for cable management, a little bit of planning goes a long way. However, we would have liked a hole near the CPU backplate cutout in order to route the CPU cable.

The three included fans will provide enough cooling for most users. If you need more however, you can mount additional four.

As far as the material and finishing touches go, Fractal Design ranks pretty high among its competitors in this price range.

Fractal Design Core 3000 goes for €56, here, and is one of the best cases in €50-70 price range that we’ve tested thus far. We were very pleased to see a €56 case boast such quality and it seems as if it is tougher than most cases in this price range.

Fractal Design designed the Core 3000 in the image of its high end cases. Namely, one of the two HDD cages can be taken out or rotated; cables can be routed on the back of the case; it has three fans with a fan controller, etc. Although it is smaller than a high tower case, this mid-tower case will take any graphics card and cooler up to 160mm tall.

If we’re to pick hairs then we’d point fingers at the lack of a few holes for cable management, some notches and 2.5’’ screws and, of course, no USB 3.0 connectors. However, we can’t take away the fact that the Core 3000 boasts quality and advanced features that will surely provide a nice home for your components. So, if USB 3.0 is not your main criteria in purchasing a case, then there’s no excuse for not considering Fractal Design’s Core 3000.